Study adds fuel to 'don't ask' debate

A long-awaited Pentagon report that concludes that the ban on gays in the military could be revoked with little disruption has reignited the debate over legislation that would to do just that, offering fresh ammunition for lawmakers on both sides of the debate but failing to dramatically affect senators’ individual views on the issue.

Repeal advocates – including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, several military leaders and President Barack Obama, who vowed that “don’t ask, don’t tell" would be repealed on his watch – pointed to the top-line finding: about 70 percent of active-duty personnel believe dismantling “ don’t ask, don’t tell” would have a positive effect on the military – or no effect at all.

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“Today’s report confirms that a strong majority of our military men and women and their families—more than two thirds—are prepared to serve alongside Americans who are openly gay and lesbian,” the president said in a statement. “This report also confirms that, by every measure—from unit cohesion to recruitment and retention to family readiness—we can transition to a new policy in a responsible manner that ensures our military strength and national security.”

But the task force delivered new ammunition to repeal opponents by revealing that 48 percent of combat forces are concerned about serving with openly gay comrades – and that number climbs to 58 percent among some specialized front-line combat units. Repeal opponents in the Senate are likely to use those statistics during upcoming hearings this week, arguing that the change would cause disruptions within the military’s warfighting core potentially disrupting combat effectiveness and endangering national security.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) — a former Navy combat pilot, Vietnam POW and perhaps the most prominent skeptic of repealing the 17-year-old law — on Tuesday repeated his complaint that the Pentagon survey is flawed because it focused solely on the impact the repeal would have within the ranks, but didn’t ask troops if they thought the change was a good idea.

“The study was about how best to implement it, not whether it should be repealed or not,” he said. “That is not the kind of study I feel was necessary.”

The Pentagon released the results of the seven-month survey at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Gates said the study shows that, “overall, and with thorough preparation, there is a low risk from repealing 'don’t ask, don’t tell.” The findings, Gates said, show that “this can be done, and it should be done.”

While acknowledging pockets of resistance, largely within some fighting units such as the infantry, Gates “strongly” urged the Senate to pass the pending repeal legislation as quickly as possible. Though he made a personal appeal, the basis for his argument was practical rather than idealistic.

“This is a matter of some urgency because, as we have seen this past year, the federal courts are increasingly becoming involved in this issue,” Gates said, referring to a lawsuit by the Log Cabin Republicans, which resulted in an eight-day suspension of the ban on gays in uniform last month. The policy was reinstated, however, pending the outcome of an appeal by the Obama administration.